In large-scale animal husbandry operations, substantial amounts of animal waste are generated. Modern methods of raising livestock facilitate capturing that waste in such a way that treatment of the waste can be undertaken. For example, hogs often are now raised in “high-density” hog barns each of which can hold several hundred animals. Such hog barns are usually equipped with slotted floors that allow animal waste to pass through the floor into a space below. A flush system is operated periodically to flush the waste from the subfloor space using water. Once flushed from the hog barn, the waste can be handled in various ways depending on the particular installation.
Often the waste is simply pumped into a large lagoon near the barn, where it undergoes a slow anaerobic digestion. The treated waste then may be sprayed onto fields. A drawback of such lagoons is that during certain weather conditions, such as hurricanes or flooding, the waste water can be displaced from the lagoon into the surrounding environment.
It would be beneficial if the total amount of waste entering the environment surrounding a livestock-raising operation could be reduced.